June 18, 2012|By Mary Gail Hare, The Baltimore Sun
City fire officials have identified the 51-year-old man who died Saturday during a fire in the Broening Manor neighborhood.
Bruce Wagner, who lived at the one-story, wood-frame home in the 6500 block of Eastbourne Ave., north of Holabird Avenue, died of severe smoke inhalation and burns, fire officials said. His body was found shortly before midnight inside the home and was taken to the state medical examiner's office for an autopsy. Two dogs also died in the fire, which broke out shortly after 11 p.m.
Three residents escaped the fire without injury, while a fourth, a woman, suffered smoke inhalation and minor burns and was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center for evaluation.
Firefighters returned to the neighborhood Sunday and met with residents. They shared fire prevention and safety information on how to safeguard families and homes from fire.
This is the city's second fire death this year. In January, an 84-year-old woman was discovered dead in a one-alarm blaze at her East Baltimore home. Investigators later discovered she had been stabbed multiple times and her death was ruled a homicide.
"We continue to emphasize that having a working smoke alarm is your primary source of notification in the presence of a fire," said Baltimore Fire Chief James Clack. "Please, call 311 and request a free smoke alarm if you don't have one."
Mary.gail.hare@baltsun.com
